55 gallon planted tank progress( for those who care)

Jayy

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Bacopa

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Driftwood

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Right corner, I plan to put some Java Fern on that piece of driftwood.

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Side view

Jayy

The plants I bought include; 2 stalks Ludwigia, 2 stalks bacopa, 2 stalks creeping jenny, 1 Red Melon Sword, 1 ozlet sword, 1 pot of dwaf Chain Sword.

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Top view.

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Pennywort.

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Anbuis on driftwood

Jayy

Thanks Bryon! It can't help but come out nice when learning from a master like you . I have one of these in the corner,Ruffled Aponogeton (Aponogeton crispus) , Will it still give the same affect?

Byron

Yes, that should grow to the surface and be "bushy" so it will wrap around the wood in a sense.

Jayy

Good, I don't have to find a new spot for it.

Jayy

Yesterday, I moved the driftwood over, like Bryon suggested and replanted some plants. I also want to add some fish next time I go to my lfs. I saw some clown plecos and I'm thinking about getting one. I've read that they hide most of the time, but I still want one. Has anyone kept one before?

Jayy

I heard Bryon say over time that sand will darken. I'm not sure if he meant all sand or just the brand he uses. My sand is light tan, but is looks darker when dry or wet and not under the tank light. I know that if your sand is too light, your fish won't be as comfortable and won't look their best. My fish look great, but I just want to make sure they're showing their BEST colors.

kangy

I temporarily had 2 of them in my 29g that I rescued. For the 6 or so weeks they were in there they were not happy. They hid all of the time, when they did come out it was to exercise (they are shoaling fish and love a nice long tank). They would piss off the cories (not being mean, just by mulling them over), would uproot plants, etc. I'm sure though housed in a longer tank they would be less of an annoyance. You should have three minimum though so keep that in mind.

Jayy

ok, but the profile says they territorial and I don't see anything about keeping them in 3's.

Byron

On the sand, I think this will improve as the tank matures. Floating plants will help as it diffuses the overhead light. More chunks of wood on the bottom help. A layer of dry leaves is another method. And of course, more plants. Something like Pygmy chain sword will soon spread.

On the Clown Pleco, i just revised the profile yesterday as it was missing information. The territorial issue is more related to males, I think I may have missed that. I've not kept this particular species of loricariid, but I have kept others. Unless you want the interest of spawning them, a single fish is probably better. But one thing was clear in my research for the profile--this is a very shy fish. One source said if you want a fish you will never see, fine, but otherwise, try something else. Might have been an exaggeration, but...

Byron.